More than 2,000 children in Southwark are starting their day better, thanks to a new Southwark Council push for free healthy breakfasts.
The council has ploughed an extra £175,000 into the scheme, which will allow 54 nurseries to offer free breakfast or improve their existing offers, as part of the effort to tackle child hunger.
A 2023 government study showed that 38 per cent of Southwark’s children were living in poverty. A 2022 report found that the cost of a basket of groceries in London was at a 42-year high, with food inflation rising above 14 per cent.
The new scheme gives children between five and three breakfasts per week, depending on eligibility. Pippa Baker, Special Educational Needs Coordinator and head of Nell Gwynn Nursery School, said, “A free healthy breakfast equips [the children] to be able to get on with their school day, while giving peace of mind for some of our families who are struggling with the cost of living”.
Since 2013, Southwark Council has served provided universal free school meals to primary school students.
Marina Ahmad, Greater London Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark, said in 2022 that “Too many parents are giving up meals every day so that their children can eat”. She demanded that London Mayor Sadiq Khan establish a Childhood Hunger Commission for the British capital.
Councillor Jasmine Ali, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Refugees, said the funding puts “money back in parents’ pockets for other necessities as the cost-of-living crisis continues.”
But her assertion was challenged by an X user, who mentioned the stoppage of winter fuel payments, leaving many pensioners unable to heat their homes in the winter months ahead. The user asked Ali, “Will you be going round there to give them something to eat because they can’t afford to put the heating on?”
In mid-2023, Ali called on then opposition leader, Labour’s Keir Starmer to introduce free school meals for every primary school child calling it a “no brainer” decision. Starmer had responded by saying “the money is a big factor.” He added that if elected, his government would “inherit a broken economy after 13 years of failure [and] broken public services.” Sections of the media interpreted Starmer’s comments as a refusal to back a free meal scheme for students.
Last year, Khan announced that the Greater London Authority would provide funding for free primary school meals across the city. This meant that Southwark Council no longer had to fund its free school meals programmes itself and had £3.2m spare. The council decided to spend the extra cash on a new scheme for secondary schools.
